Masahiro Sakurai has been with the Super Smash Bros. franchise since the very beginning. Since the N64 days, Sakurai has been intimately involved with the series, and that’s continued on through Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook just how integral he is to the process, but a new episode of the YouTube series Creating Games shows the depths of his involvement. In the video, Sakurai goes into detail about his perfectionism, and how he challenges his developers to look at the smallest details, including the broken boards in the Mishima Dojo stage.ย
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In the video, Sakurai reveals an in-development image of the stage. Mishima Dojo has destructible walls, which splinter and crack when a fighter is sent through it. The original design from the stage team looked like it had a bite taken out of it, with a circular pattern and breaks that appeared too even. Sakurai offered a number of notes about how to improve it, including suggestions on how to make the breaks look less even. While most players probably wouldn’t even notice it, Sakurai takes even the smallest details quite seriously! The video can be found below.ย
Will Sakurai Stick With Smash?
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Super Smash Bros. franchise over the last few years is whether Sakurai will be returning for the next game in the series. The director has frequently referred to himself as “semi-retired,” leading some to believe he might not return for the next game in the series. Videos like this one show just how important he is to the development process, and how he finds ways to keep elevating the games. It’s almost impossible to imagine how the series could exist without his steady hand on the wheel, and what impact it might have on the series.ย
Thankfully, it seems we might not have to imagine Super Smash Bros. without Sakurai’s involvement! There have been a number of hints lately that development has started on a new entry in the series; Sakurai’s YouTube channel will be coming to an end at some point this year, and Bandai Namco has begun hiring for a game that sounds suspiciously like a new Super Smash Bros. entry.ย
Nintendo’s Next Console
If there really is a new Super Smash Bros. game in the works, it will likely be released on the successor to the Nintendo Switch. That system will be revealed sometime before Nintendo’s fiscal year ends in March 2025. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate didn’t release until more than a year after the Switch did, which means it’s possible we won’t see the next series entry until 2026 or later. Until then, fans are just going to have to enjoy all the work Sakurai and his team put into the current game!ย
Are you surprised by how involved Sakurai is? Do you think Smash Bros. would be the same quality without him? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
